But as stressful as all of that can be, the amount of love that I've felt since I moved here has been amazing. People meeting me or introducing me wherever I am, residents always greeting me with a kind "welcome to town", the folks in my churches going above and beyond to make sure that everything is taken care of.
It has been seriously amazing!
To give you an idea of some of the caring of this community...
- I had to get an account going so that I can get paid (my church does an automatic transfer of my pay twice a month). Of course, The Bank (yeah, I typed it like that) has rules for opening the account, but because I'm still waiting on my last church to pay me, they let me open the account with just a few bucks. Sure, the fact that the branch manager is a member of my church and the President/CEO of The Bank happened to be in that day doesn't hurt my feelings any, but everyone there was so gracious in helping me get things taken care of.
- My uncle once said (and I've heard it from other clergy as well) that the first people that come rushing to greet you might be the first to push you out the door. I don't think that applies in this case. The first people to come greeting were there to take care of a couple of minor issues around the house. Sure, it was great that they want to take care of their property, but these were things that could have waited a day or two or three. But no, they wanted (and continue to want) to make sure that everything was taken care of so that I could be comfortable living here.
- People have quickly taken me in as "one of their own". I noticed that one of the "round table sessions" take place at the Frontier (The Frontier is a great cafe on one of the highways here), and the County Sheriff is a regular participant. I later stopped by the Sheriff's office to chat with him and find out about some of the in's and out's around the area. A day of two later, I stopped in at The Frontier again for breakfast and there was the Sheriff, welcoming me at the table. Since then, I've become "the game"... a couple of people will wait for choice folks to come in, see if they can get them riled up, and then introduce me at the new Reverend. I wonder if anyone keeps score on how fast a face might turn a little red or how much coffee is spit across the table. Also, if there isn't a "game", people who aren't even one of my church members will make it a point to introduce me to other folks. Again, they take me in as "one of their own".
- While walking around town yesterday during the Independence Day events here, I was wearing a church t-shirt that my secretary gave me (some years ago, a pastor here had church folks volunteering at the movie theater, and had shirts printed to help them stand out). Well, not wanting people to think that I was "passing through" or "just visiting", I wore the shirt. That simple act did, of course, make me more visible, but it also extended the opportunity for folks to come and introduce themselves or add their own "welcome!" My Bishop talks about us pastors being part of the community, but I think that the community wanted me to be a part of them. The only thing I can compare this to would be my first appointment ten years ago at Curtis. So many people said "hello" that I lost track.
If you ever find yourself cruising along US 83 or 36, and you find the spot where the two intersect in northwest Kansas, stop by one the place here. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
